4.  The applicant was born in 1939 and lives in Bilibino, Chukotka Region.
5.  The applicant submitted that on 30 December 1998 he had instituted proceedings against the district and regional pension authorities and the district social security authority (Управление пенсионного фонда РФ по Билибинскому району Чукотского АО, Отделение Пенсионного фонда РФ по ЧАО и Отдел социальной защиты населения Администрации Билибинского района) for the recovery of arrears of his old-age pension which had accrued between 1993 and 1998 in the amount of 2,020.64 Russian roubles (RUR). He also claimed that the amount should be index-linked. The Government submitted that the claim had been received by the court on 10 February 1999. They enclosed no supporting documents.
6.  On 1 June 1999 the Bilibino District Court stayed the proceedings on the grounds that the applicant had amended the claim. The Chukotka Regional Court quashed the ruling to stay the proceedings on 14 October 1999 and ordered the examination of the claim on the merits.
7.  Between 14 October 1999 and 21 March 2001 the hearings were adjourned three times: on 11 April 2000 because the judge was on a mission, on 15 December 2000 on account of the parties’ failure to appear at the hearing, and on 19 March 2001 on account of a failure to notify them about the next hearing. The applicant submitted that on 15 December 2000 his representative had arrived at the court by the scheduled time, but the judge had not opened the hearing. His representative’s request for information about the reasons for the failure to hold a hearing had been refused.
8.  On 21 March 2001 the Bilibino District Court partially granted the claim. On 2 April 2001 the Bilibino District Prosecutor lodged an appeal against the judgment on behalf of the applicant.
9.  On 19 July 2001 the Chukotka Regional Court quashed the judgment and referred the case back for a fresh examination on the grounds, inter alia, that the applicant had not appeared at the hearing and there was no evidence that he had been duly notified about it.
10.  The Government submitted that after the case file had been received on 9 August 2001 by the Bilibino District Court, on 17 August 2001 the judge had ordered that the case should be prepared for hearing and requested the parties to submit their pleadings. The applicant stated that the requested information had been submitted on 24 August 2001.
11.  On 7 October 2002 the hearing was adjourned because the judge was on a mission. On 1 December 2002 the case was transferred to another judge.
12.  According to the Government, the case was not examined in 2002 because the local pension authorities were in the process of reorganisation and the court had to establish the proper defendant.
13.  On 10 July 2003 the Bilibino District Court granted the applicant’s claim against the local pension authority (Управление пенсионного фонда РФ по Билибинскому району Чукотского АО) for recovery of the arrears of his old-age pension with index-linking and awarded him RUR 13,333.89 (approximately EUR 387). The court dismissed the claim against the other defendants. The Chukotka Regional Court upheld the judgment on 25 September 2003. The judgment was executed on 3 November 2003.